Cumulative 10 year prevalence and incidence within two and 10 years from diagnosis of extra-articular manifestations in a representative sample of Spanish patients with RA with a mean disease duration of 10 years
| Definition | Cumulative prevalence (95% CI) | Incidence within two years (95% CI) | Incidence within 10 years (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rheumatoid nodules | Subcutaneous nodules with a diameter ⩾5 mm in extensor face of extremities and fingers. Nodules in atypical locations must have a histological confirmation | 24.5 (21.5 to 27.5) | 5.2 (3.8 to 7.1) | 15.7 (13.0 to 18.9) |
| Secondary Sjögren’s syndrome | Presence of RA plus xerophthalmia and/or xerostomia, both objective and subjective (Vitali et al15) | 17.0 (14.4 to 19.6) | 2.3 (1.4 to 3.7) | 9.1 (6.9 to 11.8) |
| Anterior atlantoaxial subluxation | Distance between atlas and axis in a lateral x ray of the cervical column in forced flexion is >3 mm, regardless of the presence of symptoms | 12.1 (9.8 to 14.4) | 0.2 (0.02 to 1.0) | 3.2 (1.9 to 5.3) |
| Carpal tunnel syndrome | Presence of symptoms (paraesthesia, pain or tiredness in the median nerve territory) plus one positive sign (Phalen or Tinel), or nerve conduction studies demonstrating median nerve entrapment, or previous treatment or surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome | 10.7 (7.8 to 13.6) | 3.5 (2.4 to 5.0) | 8.0 (6.2 to 10.4) |
| Interstitial lung disease | Confirmed either by restrictive pattern or decrease in Tlco or KCO in pulmonary function tests or by high resolution CT scan | 3.7 (2.4 to 5.0) | 0.5 (0.2 to 1.4) | 1.9 (1.1 to 3.5) |
| Serositis | Pleuritis or pericarditis documented in the clinical record as related to RA or appearing as a new finding in chest x ray, with or without symptoms | 2.5 (1.4 to 3.5) | 0.1 (0.02 to 0.9) | 0.4 (0.1 to 1.3) |
| Eye disease | Scleritis and/or episcleritis, confirmed by an ophthalmologist | 2.5 (1.1 to 3.9) | – | 1.5 (0.7 to 3.0) |
| Rheumatoid vasculitis | Presence in a patient with RA of one or more of the following:
| 1.3 (0.5 to 2.1) | – | 0.4 (0.10 to 1.5) |
| Secondary clinical amyloidosis | Amyloid deposition confirmed by biopsy in a target organ or by fine needle aspiration of subcutaneous abdominal fat plus clinical and/or analytical repercussion | 0.6 (0.1 to 1.2) | – | 0.3 (0.4 to 11.8 |
| Felty’s syndrome | Neutropenia (<1.8×109 neutrophils/l) plus splenomegaly (documented by ultrasound) without another cause in a patient with RA | 0.3 (<0.6) | – | – |